Brexit and the waning days of the United Kingdom

[Josquius]

Honestly I had always thought sunak was Muslim until I read about some misplaced islamophobia against him the other day.

I do suspect this might play well for the tories in heavily hindu seats,especially with the rise of hinduvata nuts.

[Richard Hakluyt]

Sunak's recent ancestors all seem to have been born in places ruled by Britain. So, he was born in Southampton, his dad in colonial Kenya, his mum in colonial Tanganyika and his grandparents in British India.

I think they might not have been immigrants at all, at least in the sense that when they moved their passports gave them the the right of abode in these various territories, so they were moving within the Imperial framework.

[Sheilbh]

Is there any reason to believe that someone who could not even bring half the MPs or half the party members behind his candidacy could somehow pacify the decade long internal conflicts that make the Tories ungovernable?

He had over half this time.

I think he's unlikely to succeed - I'm still not convinced he's actually very good at politics But I think he's clearly the best candidate. I also think the skills that help in the Treasury are very different from what makes for a successful PM.

The worry/fear I have is that the Tories have a big majority so I think it would be very rare historically for a party with a majority that big to lose in one term. So my fear is the John Major precedent - the party was absolutely split over deposing Thatcher, there'd been riots on the streets over the poll tax, they chose their not particularly charismatic Chancellor as leader. But they won the next election. Facing those circumstances the Tory instinct for self-preservation kicked in and the party held together for the two years they needed to surprisingly win again.

I think the issues are more damaging now and bigger than they were in 1990. I think there are structural divides within the Tory party that didn't exist then (basically how do you hold together a Red Wall and Blue Wall party). And I think Tories have just got too much into the habit of in-fighting and deposing leaders etc. So I am not convinced, but 1990 (and the rest of British political history) makes me very reluctant to write them off.

There's certainly no space for Labour to become complacent.

Edit: FWIW I think Sunak has a better chance of making a success out of it now than he would have had he won in September - weirdly.

[Zanza]

Edit: FWIW I think Sunak has a better chance of making a success out of it now than he would have had he won in September - weirdly.

The Tories had a kind of near death experience so that make them more malleable for a while. But in the end, there is too many contradictions in the party.

[The Brain]

The Tories managed to make themselves even more of a laughing stock. A Tory PM can't show their face internationally without people snickering.

[Josquius]

And the tories seem to have decided on a slogan. Or at lead the area their slogan will be. They're all rattling off the same stuff about how we should ignore the past and look forward not back.

No doubt only when it comes to their failures.

[Tonitrus]

It is said that Sunak's favorite Star Wars film is "The Empire Strikes Back"...so thankfully he is 100% correct on that question.

[Sheilbh]

How bad things got for Truss - her approval rating among 2019 Tory voters:


I don't think I've ever seen anything like it - and, truly, nothing became her like not being able to do or say anything

Madly Truss leaving office gives no sign of having taken any responsibility and still seems to be trying to list "achievements" so my sympathy is limited

Separately pointed out by a reporter from Jewish Chronicle that briefly this morning (until the reshuffle) we'll have a Christian King, Hindu PM, Jewish Home Secretary and Muslim Mayor of London - and an atheist Leader of the Opposition. Which seems like a relatively good moment of multicultural Britain - especially as it's across parties.

It is said that Sunak's favorite Star Wars film is "The Empire Strikes Back"...so thankfully he is 100% correct on that question.

As well as being a Star Wars fan I've seen backbenchers also attacking him a little bit for just being a geek who likes spreadsheets and video games - and it strikes me there's a non-zero chance the new PM has played Paradox games

Edit: Or another view of the Truss numbers

[Josquius]

 
Makes anyone feel good about starting a new job.

Incidentally I read a nice comparison for her "Its like a mid level project manager suddenly being put in charge of a global transformation project"

[Tamas]

Makes anyone feel good about starting a new job.

Incidentally I read a nice comparison for her "Its like a mid level project manager suddenly being put in charge of a global transformation project"

Well, maybe, if its a terrible PM. A normal person, when put in charge of something way over their head, would be reviewing the situation and relying on their team to manage it. Not blindly rushing forward to enact their childhood fantasy of a country overnight despite literally everyone with a semblance of experience advising that it is a terrible idea.

[Sheilbh]

Wut?

New York Times World
@nytimesworld
A Rishi Sunak prepares to become Britain's third prime minister this year, curiosity about his wealth hovers in the public's mind like thought bubbles filled with crisp British pound notes

[Josquius]

Thats....not an analogy.

[HVC]

Guess they're going for a Sims reference?

[The Brain]

Guess they're going for a Sims reference?

Like the FSB?

[The Larch]

I just heard a clip of Sunak's acceptance speech and he came across incredibly wooden and robotic. Is he just not a good public speaker or maybe the material wasn't great?